2018 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak

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2018 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak
2018 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak is located in Earth
Liverpool
Liverpool
Seoul
Seoul
New York City
New York City
Red pog.svg Confirmed MERS cases
Blue 000080 pog.svg Suspected MERS cases
Date23 August 2018 – now
LocationConfirmed cases: Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, South Korea
Casualties
  • Confirmed Cases: 193[3]
  • Suspected Cases: ~150[citation needed]
  • Deaths: 56[3]

The 2018 Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak was a set of infections of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV). The cases were most numerous in, and are believed to have originated from, Saudi Arabia.

250 cases of MERS were recorded in 2017, and 249 in 2016.[3] In 2018, there was an early surge in cases, with 21 confirmed cases in February.[4] However, over the whole year, cases were down compared to previous years, with 147 recorded cases.[3]

MERS-CoV[]

The syndrome originates in countries on the Arabian peninsula, and there is a low general risk to any travelers. Symptoms usually appear 2 to 14 days after exposure, and include fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.[5]

Annual summaries[]

Total laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS world-wide per year were as follows:[6][7][8]

Year Cases
2012 14[8]
2013 100[8]
2014 381[8]
2015 492[7]
2016 249[7]
2017 250[7]
2018 147[7]
2019 217 [6]
2020 61 (to June) [9][2]

Background of cases[]

It was reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on June 18, 2018 that there were 75 laboratory confirmed cases of the syndrome in Saudi Arabia.[10] The first observed case outside of the Middle East was diagnosed on August 23, 2018 in the United Kingdom, being the first case in 5 years in the country.[11] A second case was detected on September 8, 2018 of a South Korean man who was traveling from the Middle East, being the first diagnosis in that country since the 2015 outbreak.[12] There were also hundreds of expected cases in United States and other parts of the World, most of which were eventually diagnosed as being not MERS infections.[2][13]

Full year totals were as follows:[7]

hideCountry Confirmed cases Suspected cases[citation needed] Deaths
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 145[7] ? 41[7]
Oman Oman 1 ? 0[7]
United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates 1 ? 0[7]
South Korea South Korea 1 (travel-associated) 0? 0[7]
United Kingdom United Kingdom 1 (travel-associated) 0? 0[7]
United States United States 0 ~100? 0[citation needed]

Response[]

The Ministry of Health in the Republic of Korea monitored at least 21 individuals who were in close contact with the confirmed case, and placed all identified close contacts in quarantine at their homes.[14]

World Health Organization[]

The confirmed case in Korea did not change the World Health Organization (WHO) overall global risk assessment for the disease, and WHO also stated that any additional confirmed cases would also not change the risk, which was deemed as low.[14] However, it does recommend countries to continue to monitor potential cases and to carefully record any unusual patterns.[citation needed]

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control[]

After the confirmed case in the United Kingdom, the ECDC repeated their risk assessment[15] that close contacts of confirmed cases must be monitored for symptoms for at least 14 days after the last exposure. The organization also repeated that cases of the syndrome were not unexpected and had been observed in Europe before, and the risk of transmission to the general population from the confirmed case was extremely low.[16]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Officials: Two flights land at PHL after passengers exhibit flu-like symptoms". www.fox29.com. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "More flights from Middle East arrive with ill passengers". www.nbcnews.com. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Pandemic Epidemic Diseases news: Infectious disease outbreaks reported in the Eastern Mediterranean region in 2018 Between 12 January through 31 May 2018, the National IHR Focal Point of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reported 75 laboratory confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS_CoV), including twenty-three (23) deaths. Date www.emro.who.int, accessed 29 January 2020
  4. ^ Table of Laboratory-confirmed cases in Saudi Arabia, Jan-May 2018 www.who.int, accessed 29 January 2020
  5. ^ "IAMAT | Middle East Respiratory Syndrome". www.iamat.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b MERS-CoV worldwide overview Situation update, 6 December 2020 www.ecdc.europa.eu, accessed 7 February 2020
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l Epidemic and pandemic-prone diseases Infectious disease outbreaks reported in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in 2018 See 8. Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) www.emro.who.int, accessed 29 January 2020
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Rapid Risk Assessment: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) — Seventeenth update, 11 June 2015" (PDF). European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ "Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia". World Health Organization. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  11. ^ "First case of deadly MERS virus in five years diagnosed in England". www.cnn.com. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  12. ^ "South Korean man infected by MERS virus, first case in 3 years". www.reuters.com. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  13. ^ "South Korea searching for 50 foreigners possibly exposed to Mers". www.straitstimes.com. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection – Republic of Korea". World Health Organization. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  15. ^ EDCD (11 June 2015). "Rapid Risk Assessment - Middle Ease Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)" (PDF). EDCE Risk Assessment. 1: 1–11.
  16. ^ "New case of MERS-CoV identified in the United Kingdom". European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
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